Chapter 2918: Superseding Oaths (1/2)
”Miss Avikon, please enter.”
A woman garbed in remarkable purple robes entered the room. She nodded at Commander Rivington. As prominent leaders among the Lifer contingent of Larkinsons, they frequently worked alongside each other.
Ves was a bit taken aback by her appearance though. While he interacted with her every now and then, lately he had become too preoccupied with his experiments. Besides, his airfleet already developed a working hierarchy now. He did not have to waste as much time with solving various management issues.
It had actually been at least 6 days ago when he last met Samandra. Back then, the priestess possessed a familiar demeanor.
Now, she looked much more focused and intense. When her eyes rested on Ves, he felt as if she was trying her best to restrain herself!
She bowed deeply. ”Patriarch Ves. It is good to see you again.”
”You look… different.”
”I have been praying a lot lately, and so have my fellow compatriots.”
”That sounds okay.”
”I have been praying in front of the Aspect of Healing. For a long time, I did not realize that I was bearing a burden. Reflecting on myself while in the presence of the divine angel has made me realize that
”Oh.”
Of the four Aspects of Lufa, Ves reserved two of them for his experiments. The Aspect of Rationality was very dangerous, but also very useful in certain circumstances, so its use was heavily restricted.
This left the Aspect of Healing as the remaining statue open to the public. Every Larkinson who wanted to clear their minds and find some joy in their lives were allowed to have a session with the statue.
A short session.
As Ves and some of the leadership became more concerned about the potential long-term effects of constant exposure, they increasingly limited the amount of minutes someone was allowed to spend in the statue's presence.
Ves did not want to raise a bunch of spiritual drug addicts! The statue was solely there to help the traumatized and displaced citizens move on from their depression. It was not meant to turn Larkinsons into the next versions of Axelar Streon!
He thought that cutting down the session time to 10 minutes was already good enough. Yet seeing how Samandra had become a lot more fanatical than before made him feel he needed to pare down that time interval even further.
He coughed. ”Madame Samandra, I hope you have kept in mind that the cure can sometimes be worse than the disease.”
”I am aware that the grace of the Aspect of Healing should not be abused. However, it has helped me discover what is truly important. Now that I have pledged my loyalty to the Larkinson Clan, I should not let my old bonds hinder me from doing what is best. I think the reason why I am here is related to my enlightenment. If not for that, I would have been much more hesitant to divulge the information that I hold.”
Ves narrowed his eyes. ”Please explain.”
”Priestess Samandra, please tell Ves about your ties to the Supreme Sage.”
”Huh?!” Ves straightened his back as he stared at the woman in shock. ”You know the Supreme Sage?!”
The priestess quickly shook her head. ”Not directly, no. I am a small figure to this great researcher, though I do admit that my organization and I worshipped him as the greatest apostle that can realize the holy grandeur of biotechnology.”
”What are your ties to him, then?”
”My prior organization, Spiritus Sancti, is an arm of his direct organization. We were essentially one of his agents, not that most of us were aware of this. I am one of the few who know the truth due to my rank.”
Ves was stunned. For a moment, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Life Research Association maintained a strong secular tradition. Its people strongly valued science over baseless superstition and did not take cults like Spiritus Sancti seriously.
The Lifers were much like Brighters in that regard! The only difference was that the former adopted their stance based on science while the latter made the same decision based on ideology.
As someone who sat at the very top of a technocratic state, the Supreme Sage should be one of the most repellant towards religion!
There was no way that Ves could ever tie such a renowned and successful biotech research to a cult that plied illogical and unfalsifiable assumptions!
Commander Rivington saw his confusion and chuckled. ”That's my reaction as well when Priestess Samandra first told me about this. I have to say that it makes good sense, though. Who would ever suspect that Spiritus Sancti actually served as the Supreme Sage's eyes and ears? No Lifer, especially the stuck-up biomech designers, would ever guess the truth!”
Ves became enlightened. If he disregarded his instinctual disgust towards cults, then he had to admit that the Supreme Sage erected a brilliant scheme!